Ten reasons why the Left should like the ASI, 10: Jobs

The Left should back the ASI's proposals to increase the numbers of jobs available, especially for those of relatively modest skills.

The ASI takes the view that the best welfare measure of all is paid employment. Someone in a job that pays wages or a salary can meet their needs and advance their status far better than anyone dependent only on state support. The ASI supports measures than can boost job-creation by making it easier and cheaper to employ people. It is made easier by reducing the paperwork and regulatory compliance required of would-be employers, and it is made cheaper by reducing the tax burden that falls on them.

Since about two-thirds of new jobs are created by small employers, the ASI has concentrated on the small business sector, proposing a lighter regulatory environment for them than for business in general. The large firm can afford the costs of compliance more readily than can the small or start-up business. One of the ASI proposals is that small firms should be allowed to treat their workers as self-employed, removing the need for employers to calculate and handle PAYE and NI payments, as well as reducing the non-wage provision they are obliged to provide for employees. This would greatly boost the number of jobs, and be particularly effective at encouraging the one-person business to overcome the barriers that discourage it from taking on its first employee.

Although part of the Left wants to concentrate on securing more rights for those already in jobs, the rest of them should support ASI proposals that could greatly increase the jobs available and therefore the employment opportunities for those seeking jobs, especially young people. They should also note that it is today's start-ups that will secure jobs in Britain's future, and support the ASI's commitment to an expanding future for employment.